Who said "Flowing water won't move on until it fills every hollow."?

Mencius (c. 372-289 BC). Source: Mencius 7A24 (盡心上).

What is the original Chinese?

流水之為物也，不盈科不行；君子之志於道也，不成章不達。. Translated from the original Chinese by Spartan Surfers.

不盈科不行

Flowing water won't move on until it fills every hollow.

Mencius, Mencius 7A24 (盡心上)

What it means

Water does not skip steps: it fills each dip before it flows ahead. Mencius says a serious person learns the same way, completing each stage before reaching for the next. Master the basics fully and the rest flows.

The source

"Flowing water won't move on until it fills every hollow." Mencius said it in Mencius 7A24 (盡心上). Translated from the original Chinese by Spartan Surfers.

"流水之為物也，不盈科不行；君子之志於道也，不成章不達。"

Original Chinese, Mencius 7A24 (盡心上). Text read at zh.wikisource.org.

Who said it

Mencius (c. 372-289 BC). The most important Confucian after Confucius himself. He argued that human nature is good and that a ruler's first duty is to the people.

Questions

What does "Flowing water won't move on until it fills every hollow." mean?: Water does not skip steps: it fills each dip before it flows ahead. Mencius says a serious person learns the same way, completing each stage before reaching for the next. Master the basics fully and the rest flows.
Who said "Flowing water won't move on until it fills every hollow."?: Mencius (c. 372-289 BC). Source: Mencius 7A24 (盡心上).
What is the original Chinese?: 流水之為物也，不盈科不行；君子之志於道也，不成章不達。. Translated from the original Chinese by Spartan Surfers.
Is "Flowing water won't move on until it fills every hollow." on a shirt?: Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

Cite this line

"Flowing water won't move on until it fills every hollow." (Mencius, Mencius 7A24 (盡心上), translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/flowing-water-wont-move-on-until-it-fills